A present benefit enjoyed by present day society is the ready availability of music and other audio programming. With devices such as radios, cassette tape players, compact disc players and MP3 players a person may listen to virtually any music or audio programming. When such devices are combined with the wide spread use of headphones either by building the same into the headsets or electronically connecting the same to the headsets, users have gained great flexibility in that the audio programming may be played and listened to in almost any location or setting. Furthermore a person may listen to virtually any music or other audio programming and the hands are left clear and physical activity can be incorporated with the ability for sound entertainment. Wireless headphones generally receive a radio frequency transmission form the selected audio programming of the user.
In the same manner cellular telephones have become widespread and are carried around the home, in an office, shopping, traveling or while conducting exercise or other activities. The user can easily move from one location to another during a phone call while receiving the phone information, perform a chore or continue the activity engaged in prior to the phone call. There are a number of problems encountered in prior art as cordless telephones commonly referred to as cell phones have become widespread in our society. Since cell phones are carried everywhere, they are often carried by individuals engaged in physical exercise such as walking, hiking, biking and running. Conversely when the phone rings, the individual must stop whatever he or she is currently doing to complete the call which also entails holding the same close to the face for reception and transmission while also requiring that the user keep his or her hand occupied holding the cellular phone. Obviously one cannot continue physical exercise as the phone would bang against the face resulting in possible injury or an interruption of the ongoing conversation. In addition keeping one's hand occupied in grasping or holding the cellular telephone for a long period of time is tiresome and precludes the use of the hand for other pursuits. Other devices which are also commonly used are portable radios, CD players and the like which provide the user with an availability of music and other audio programming.
The prior art discloses numerous examples of headphones with telephone and/or radio interconnection particularly where the same is built in the headset and has an external antenna. As an example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,115 discloses a pair of wireless headphones with a built in sound system to provide music and audio programming to a user. A telephone base unit also broadcasts notification of incoming phone calls to the wireless headphones in the form of an audio signal to notify the user of the incoming call. The headphones may also provide an audio signal over or instead of the audio programming to notify the user of the incoming call. The headphones may also incorporate a microphone so that he user can receive the phone call with the headphones.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,302 is directed in part toward a voice actuated dialing apparatus for registering a plurality of telephone numbers and automatically dialing a telephone number through the use of voice recognition software.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,907,266 a headphone convertible telephone hand set is disclosed which can be converted into a headphone like telephone to produce double form or stereo like sound in its receiver permitting the same to be worn on a user's head freeing the user's hands and allowing other functions. When extended outward from the telephone hand set to form a headphone, the movable receiver remains electrically connected with the inner circuit of the telephone hand set using a first and second arc-shaped telescopic slide strips, each having a central longitudinal slide slot to produce a double form or stereo like sound together with the stationary receiver.
Other headsets are also known such as the headset with built in radio receiver and external antenna shown in U.S. Design Pat. No. 388,788; the headset with ear protectors with a built in radio and external antenna shown in U.S. Des. Pat. No. 411,200 and the cordless telephone headset with external antenna and external microphone shown in U.S. Des. Pat. No. 429,229.
The prior art does not solve the problem of dual use of a wireless headphone used with audio programming and also carrying a cell phone. If the phone rings while the user is listening to music or other audio programming with the headphones, the user may not be able to hear the phone and may miss the phone call or pick it up to late to connect with the caller. Accordingly there is a need for an apparatus for providing portable audio programming for the enjoyment of a user while preventing the user from missing the call or being forced to stop the particular activity which he or she is presently undertaking.
The present invention solves the above problems in a manner not disclosed in the known prior art.